Biz News: Smart Customer Mobile wins energy award

Irvine-based company Smart Customer Mobile won the Energy Industry Innovator of the Year Gold award at the recent Golden Bridge Awards in San Francisco.

The company, which launched in 2011, enables utility companies to establish real-time, state-of-the-art communications with customers, according to a news release.

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Irvine’s Lantronix announces CEO transition

Networking company Lantronix Inc. of Irvine has announced that Kurt Busch has resigned from his post as president and chief executive and will be replaced on an interim basis by Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Whitaker while the company searches for a permanent CEO.

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Fox Business Network anchor to speak at Irvine chamber event

Stuart Varney, a Fox Business Network anchor and host of “Varney & Company,” will be a guest speaker at the Irvine Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Business Outlook on Jan. 22.

The event at the Irvine Marriott also will feature Bill Maurer, UC Irvine’s dean of social sciences.

Varney will discuss the current economic climate and lead a discussion about Orange County economic indicators, according to a news release. Maurer will discuss his role in redesigning the $10 bill and how technology is changing the future of money.

Ticket prices start at $65 for chamber members and $85 for nonmembers.

For more information, visit irvinebusinessoutlook.com.

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Cafe Rio Mexican Grill to open in Irvine

Cafe Rio Mexican Grill is coming to Irvine next month, according to an Irvine Co. news release.

The restaurant, in the Westpark Plaza Shopping Center on Alton Parkway, will be the Utah-based chain’s fourth in Orange County, after others in Costa Mesa, Tustin and Lake Forest.